The Settling Dust
by The Sax Pax
Summary: Eden Shepard thought she had seen it all. Her parents ,murdered in cold blood in front of her. Her entire squadron, decimated within minutes. Now, when she is forced to the front line to stop an unwavering force, she has to fight not only enemy but her mind as the deeply hidden memories try to arise and destroy her remaining bit of sanity. T for now, no specific romance yet.


**Hello and welcome to a new story of mine...I've played Mass Effect all the way through and enjoyed it even with the stupid first ending of the third.**

**Note: I will be changing around dates and how things happened but I will still have the actual event itself as you will see in this chapter. I just liked it better this way. **

**Second Note: I don't know who I'm going to have this Shepard romance so as of right now, feel free to ship whoever. If you send me a message of who you think Shepard should be with, and I get enough of these, I'll actually write whoever gets the majority.**

**Third and final note: I'm going to make my Shepard seem more human rather than agreeing to do whatever the heck she is told and have her be somewhat...and different in a sense. Also, I'm going to make some major characters seen in her past different from the way they are until I get to the point where they are mentioned in game.**

**Disclaimer : BioWare owns all of Mass Effect including the story of Shepard, all I own is the persona, appearance, and any OC that I decide to add to the story, with that, let's go!**

**I may or may not have an editor for this story so I'm just going to wing it and hope for the best! **

* * *

A cool breeze shifted between the children running from the lone girl. The leader, a small boy with effeminate features and wide brown eyes bobbled a cloth rabbit doll in front of her vision. Each syllable poised on the boy's lips taunted her and shot her forward once more. It wasn't until she tackled him and flicked his nose, freeing her pet from his grasps.

"I'm going to tell ma that you did that, Sheppy, you're going to regret it! My ma practically runs Mindoir!" He shoved her off, leaving her alone in the dust while he and his followers escaped.

"It's okay, Einstein, I've got you back now…" She stroked the rabbit's head, returning the smile it had on its face. As far as she knew, the rabbit had been in her family for generations, with its earliest known origin from the twentieth century; 10 generations ago her relative owned the doll. She forced herself upwards, ignoring the twinge on her scratched up knees. It wasn't until the ground itself shook as a loud explosion collided with the ground near their settlement that she felt pain. She hiccupped, throwing her body forwards as fast as she could to get home.

"Daddy, mommy, Baedrin keeps taking Einstein from me!" The backdoor had remained intact as smoke plumed upwards from the fields next to their house. She knew that the fields sometimes became contaminated and that the entire stock would be destroyed. Inside, her father had redecorated. All their furniture blockaded the door as her mother peered between the shades on their windows.

"Lily!" Her mother scooped her up, setting her out of range of the front door.

"They're taking the children…Janet, go upstairs and find any pictures with Eden in them. Now!" He didn't look back as he forced the living room table against the window. Outside there was shrieking and cackling as bullets dug into the house. Her father encircled her entire body with his.

"Eden dear…I love you very much but you must survive or else what we have done would be for naught." He picked her up, just as easily as her mother and tapped three times upon the storage room hidden beneath the house. He lowered her in gently, smiling the entire time.

"George, these were the only ones I could find!" Her mother held precious memories in her arms, scrapbook upon scrapbook. He quickly threw them in the fire. He shouted an unknown command as he disappeared upstairs just like her mother.

"Oh my Eden Lily…I love you…you must survive…" She traced the contours of her face, not wanting to say anything more. Tears streamed down her face for a reason Eden didn't understand. Her father returned with a blinking object in one hand and his rifle the other.

"Eden, this beacon will ensure your safety and by no means are you to turn it off, do you understand? This rifle was my father's that he found on Mars but now it is yours and yours alone, don't let anyone tell you otherwise." She nodded and cradled the two objects as gently as she did her rabbit.

"Take this too, so you'll always remember us and no matter what you hear, you must not cry out, you're my precious baby girl and we'll always be watching over you." Her mother lowered her necklace, almost the same age as the rabbit around her daughter's neck. There was a loud crack as the door's shingles were ripped from place. Eden backed up, a whimper rising from her lungs. Her father and mother gave her one final smile before closing the trapdoor in the floor and covering it up with the rug.

"My dear, George, I love you…and I love our daughter." She hugged him before flaring her biotics, ready to fight to the death. He smiled at her, producing a small pistol.

"They won't find her; it's just us living in this house remember." He kissed her brow, and brought the pistol to eye level. The first batarian that broke through the door didn't stand a chance and was blasted away by a biotic.

Eden covered her ears, rocking back and forth to the beat of the blinking light. She flinched as two thuds sounded from above.

"Search for anyone else…leave no vermin alive but keep the babes kicking." The voice crackled with saliva and a thick accent that she couldn't place. Her mother's tears now invaded her face, distorting it with each shot from upstairs. The silence that followed afterwards didn't give her any comfort. There was no father coming down to get her and hold her until the tears stopped and there was no mother ready to kiss her skinned knees and sing her to sleep. There was no one. The steps faded, first starting loudly like brick's dropping till it fell to the whisper like a feather on the wind.

She opened the trapdoor an inch, looking out. The room was clouded with loose dust. She put her bunny and the box up first but struggled as the rifle was nearly twice her size. She fixated the rabbit and box in one arm and half carried yet dragged the rifle behind her. The door to their house was decimated into thousands of shards as a bloodstain led outside. She continued a slow pace until she saw it. The items in her arms dropped as she crawled to the two figures next to each other. Her mother and father, eyes staring blankly at the sky with blood plastered to their foreheads.

"Mo..mommy…? Dad…daddy?" Tears plopped on their faces, wiping away some muck and blood. She grabbed one of each their hands, placing them to her face. "Wake up…wake up…" She hiccupped as she forced herself between the two bodies, sniffling first then wailing into the calm wind passing through the body laced streets of Mindoir.

* * *

"Sir, we're getting a distress beacon from Mindoir, at the moment we are the closest in proximity, orders, sir?" The pilot twisted the map of the system around before pinpointing the location of the beacon. The man, face encrusted with scars, nodded slowly and found himself carrying a weapon to go into whatever mess had just stirred.

The wind smashed into the as the shutter bay door collapsed into the rest of the ship. The woman to his left gagged at the sight while the younger man only closed his eyes. Decaying corpses upon corpses lay stacked in drenched piles of blood. The only sound they heard was a piercing scream, from an unknown location. They followed the noise, pulling back as the shrieking grew in volume. A single girl with corn silk hair matted down to her face by the blood of her parents with tears staining her face, screeched endlessly. The older man knelt in an attempt to calm the girl.

The younger man didn't watch anymore, strolling over to the beacon and turning it off.

"No! Father tol…told me it needs to remain on!" The girl sat up, almost smashing her face into the man's and watched with reddened eyes as the beacon shut off. The man held out a hand to her and she eyed him distrustfully, her parents' hands still clamped in hers. He pulled back.

"My name is Steven Hackett, what's yours?" He only hoped that his scars didn't frighten the poor child anymore.

"I'm…I'm Eden Shepard…your markings…remind me of daddy's…" She looked back at him and released her father's hand, tracing the scars upon Hackett's face. He didn't move. "Mommy and daddy…they aren't talking to me anymore…why won't they say anything…?" She looked back, tears once again starting their progression down her face.

"I'm sorry…but…your mother and father…" He couldn't even think of a way to say it without sounding like a terrible person. "Your mother and father are in a deep sleep that they won't awake from and I know they're looking after an angel like you."

The girl nodded, the tears stopping midway on her face. "Mommy and daddy told me to survive…will you take me with you?" She looked back at her parents before staring at the battle worn man. He held out his hand once more and she took it. He merely smiled at how small her hand was compared to his. "Can I take my bunny and father's rifle with me?" She looked at him with such innocence that anything but yes would be like kicking a puppy repeatedly.

"Of course…" He led her over to the items and picked them both up for her. "I'll watch over them until we get you back on the ship, okay?" Here he was, a fearsome Lieutenant Commander, being easily swayed by a child. She was going to be brutal in the future that was for sure.

For every step he took, she took four. He found himself chuckling.

"Eden, how old are you?"

"I'm 7, how old are you mister?"

"I'm 25, little lady." He helped her up the steps and into the shuttle. Her eyes went wide as teacups as the ground below them became distant land. "Have you ever been in space before?" She shook her head, her face still pressed against the window.

"Will my mommy and daddy wake up and find me?" His smile fell flat as her face remained in the same position.

"I can't say for sure but I know they're watching over you now." Now he felt guilt overpowering anything else he could have felt at the moment. By the time they arrived back to the ship, the girl had become deathly silent.

"Private Brookes, please escort this little lady to the med-bay." The man gave a quick salute as Hackett gently placed the bunny in his free hand. He gave a secondary nod before taking her hand, leading her away. She sent short glances back at Hackett, her lime eyes filled with fright.

"Sir, that rifle you have…" The woman who had accompanied Hackett saluted, eyes remaining on the sniper around his shoulder. He allowed her to fall at ease as he overlooked it for the first time. "Sir, that's an M-98 Widow, it's extremely rare and according to the vids, no human can wield it without shattering their bones." She was a techie at heart as her diluted blue eyes scanned the model with envy. Hackett only readjusted the gun. "May…May I look at it?" Her hands almost shot forward to grab the gun but she forced herself back in front of her superior officer.

His thumb struck towards the retreating two. "You'll have to ask the girl." The woman's eyes widened as she followed his digit's indication.

"Her? How on earth did she obtain it?" Her lips quivered, returning her gaze to the gun. All she wanted was to test it out and rip it to pieces and then rebuild it.

"She mentioned it was her father's." He sighed, he had more important things to do than answer questions that he didn't need to.

"But… how did her father get it?" Her index finger rested against her face as her mind wandered the depths of its cage.

"You are free to ask her, Private Dunbar…but do remember you'd be asking her a question about her late father who passed away only an hour ago." He didn't speak anymore and pushed his way past her, issuing out orders to the pilot. The woman stood there, her salute returning as her commanding officer left. Her teeth bit down to halt the quivering and her hand dropped dejectedly. No matter how much she wanted to ask she would not put that child through anymore. The shudder of the ship was the only consolation that she received as she wandered back to her post.

There was a clatter of feet before a red light that flashed overtook the typical lighting. There was movement that could almost be considered mass chaos. The speaker overhead made a small click as it was activated.

"Lieutenant Commander, sir, we need you in the med-bay. There's been a –oof!" The voice cut off as a low thud sounded against metal. The only sound left was a shriek similar to the one on Mindoir. The girl remained frozen in the middle of the room, bodies thrown against the wall with men and women either wounded or unconscious.

"Sir…she's….she's an adept…" A man grunted before collapsing on himself.

"Not adept!" She shrieked, throwing them once more into the wall with more force. Even Hackett was pushed backwards and almost out of the room. Even though in pain, Hackett held his arms up approaching the girl. Her body shook with each spasm of tears. Something had agitated her. Her bunny jammed itself further into her skin as her arms tightened. The nearest bed had blood splattered on the sheets, more than likely from the man lying motionless on the ground in bandages.

He took one step, testing her limits. She only turned her head over her shoulder to stare, mouth slightly ajar. On his third step, she turned to face him. Her eyes looked blank and dry, her mental state crashed. He knelt, locking on her gaze. His hands shook as they rose near her ears. She flinched, taking one step back. She didn't move again as his palms covered her ears.

"Close your eyes." She obeyed. "You're safe, I'll protect you. For now, just forget what happened…" Her breathing slowed and her knees gave out as his arms wrapped protectively around her. For as long as he could, he would protect her.

* * *

There was a buzz of chatter roaming the academy halls as the daily broadcast was fed through the speakers. As soon as she passed, silence followed with all eyes directed upon her. She clutched the datapad closer, gaze shifting left and right of the pathway created by those not wishing to be in her path. Her lips tightened as her head dropped.

"Did you hear? She, of all people, was chosen for the Akuze mission." An anonymous voice grumbled underneath the broadcast.

"You didn't know? It's all because of her connection with Rear Admiral Hackett. None of us even stood a chance, even though our skill was greater." Another voice joined in with an irate tone.

"That wasn't the reason, I heard she's been sleeping with all the officers and getting them in her favor." It was then that she halted mid-step. And one by one, the voices around her dispersed, either by recruits fleeing or those who just stared wordlessly.

Before she could take another step, an arm hung over her shoulder, forcing her into the person's side. "Babe, isn't this a glorious day? In a matter of weeks we'll be venturing off, exploring new things, and…well you get the gist! Oh come on Eden, smile a little, you're always the stick in the mud with these types of situations. It's a far off place! I mean come on, it's deep space compared to here!" They shook her lightly as she tried pulling away, her hair getting caught on their sleeve.

"When are you ever going to start behaving like a true officer, Commander Gwin? And don't call me babe." She threw his arm off, boots clacking against the tile.

He pinched her nose, a smile from ear to ear. "I'll start behaving when you start treating me like a true Commander. Who do you think watched after you when Rear Admiral Hackett was busy?" His hands rested on his hips, a superior look on his face.

"Corporal Dunbar." She side-stepped him while continuing her way through the hallway. He easily kept up with her.

He overtook her in stride, turning around to smirk at her and began walking backwards. "Well what about when "retired" Corporal Dunbar was busy? Who then?" Her lime colored eyes narrowed as he threw his hands up in a taunt.

"Private Trenton." He froze, mouth popped open as she surpassed him in the hallway and she grinned, relishing in her victory.

It didn't faze him and he bounced back. "Why can't you just admit it? Just accept it, you've lost this battle." Her hand shoved against his face, forcing him away from her.

She turned to face him head on. The eyes of everyone else were following the entire scene from start to finish, with eavesdropping as their middle names. "Fine then, how about we duel." She pinched his cheek before smacking it lightly with her palm.

His eyes lit up like Christmas lights. "The little infiltrator taking on the big soldier, eh? I guess I could humor you before I show you who is better." His eyes waggled at her, baiting her on. The chatter around them erupted as bets were passed around, each person examining the two. "All right, how about today…at two?" He smirked at her again, sure of his prowess. She scoffed and tapped his chest with a digit.

"Make sure you go easy on me…"babe."" She pushed away from him, finally escaping from the drama movie they had just created.

* * *

She exhaled as the darkness crept away as the metal door slid into the ceiling. The room was filled with obstacles ranging from ponds of water to mountains covered with grass and dirt. A lone man stood in the center, his arms locked behind him. Her issued sniper rifle swung on the shoulders of her Colossus armor as she marched towards him. Opposite of him, Commander Gwin followed suit, an assault rifle on his shoulders.

"Today's battle will be between Lieutenant Commander Nikolai Gwin and Corporal Eden Shepard. Each contestant is issued with a rifle of their choosing with non-penetrating bullets and only concussive grenades. No biotics will be allowed during the match. Once one contestant is unable to fight back, a winner will be declared. May the best soldier win." The man backed up, retreating to the remaining open door. Gwin's arm flung out and she met it, shaking it once. There was a ding as the lights dimmed, the battle had begun.

She didn't hesitate, activating her tactical cloak and sprinting off, gaining distance.

"You don't think I know that trick?!" He caught up, his foot sliding out and catching an invisible object. Her face collided with a rock, splitting open her forehead and a part below her eye. She rolled, avoiding the stomp of his boot. She pushed up, cursing as the dirt rose behind her, trailing her.

She zigzagged, dodging bullets and puddles of water heading for her only safety, grass. She froze, waiting for him to make his move while her invisibility stood in place. He didn't approach, keeping his weapon fixated on the open land. She pulled her rifle up, taking one second to aim before firing. It smashed against his knee and he collapsed momentarily.

She didn't wait. She dove into the nearest ditch, letting the darkness caress her body as the man above stalked by while her armor began recharging. The people in the stands, way above the stadium, watched with money clenched in their hands.

She hesitated, peering over the edge of the ditch. He was gone but that's what scared her. She used the darkness to her advantage, sticking close to the shadows of the wall as she climbed out. Her braid that reached the middle of her back got stuck until she realized she was wrong. He tugged her head back, the barrel of the gun resting against her spinal cord.

"You never did learn to keep your hair up and now the match is mine." He waited for her acceptance.

She puffed, her shoulders lowering. Her arms went up and she spun to face him. He flashed his model smile, gun staying in place. "Maybe you should learn to not gloat." She slashed forward, flinging the gun upwards as bullets were launched outwards. Her palm smashed into his chest forcing the air out of his lungs. He recoiled immediately; ready to meet her in combat. His fist smashed against her face while her leg slammed into his ribs. Both coughed up blood. The crowd leaned forward in anticipation.

She dodged the next, hand catching his arm and flinging him downwards into the mud. Her armor activated again, and she left him to the fixture of his composure.

By the time she reached the mountain, she had lost sight of him again. She gathered random sticks while weaving together strands of grass wire. She created a perimeter of sticks, checking every few seconds for Gwin to no avail. He was still missing. She started panicking as her armor began recharging once more. Her heart rate increased as her fingers deftly connected grass to the pins of the grenades while encircling the post. She perched herself above the rest of the land, sniper to her eye. She spotted him, the remaining light reflecting off his visor searching every nook and cranny in the distance. He dodged left then right, a continuous pattern with the knowledge that he would be shot soon.

His head entered her sights as her finger tightened on the trigger. He was moving too fast. She bit her lip as her scope swayed past him whenever he dodged left and whenever he moved right. He began his movement right and she readied for his movement left. The shot lined up and she fired. He dodged right. He gave a small wave before disappearing into the tree line.

"Shit!" She pulled back, realizing he had seen her the same way she had seen him. She debating throwing off her helmet but it was already too late. The traps were in place and she would just have to wait. She stared upwards at the metallic tiled ceiling, waiting for his next move. It was just a chess game between the two, both being kings.

There was a small plink as the grenade to her left went off and followed was a small grunt. She pulled her remaining grenade, throwing in the direction. A lower grunt sounded this time and she knew he had been hit.

She slid down the hill, scope coming up to her eye. Her first shot implanted itself in his knee as he reeled backwards from the pain while his hands protected his face. She lowered her shoulder and threw her body weight into his chest. The moment he fell was the end. Her foot landed on his throat, cutting off most air while the barrel of the rifle rested on his forehead. He stared at her blankly before his index finger tapped against her boot. He wasn't going to fight anymore. She pulled back, offering him a hand.

The lights turned back on as the announcer walked back. "The winner is Corporal Shepard." There was a sudden explosion of a mixture of cheers and jeers. "Grade rating, C minus and total time was fourteen hours." Gwin seemed just as surprised as she did. What had felt like an hour turned out to be more than half a day.

He held out his arm, a final act of no hard feelings. There were two shakes before they parted. "Glad to have you watching my back on this trip, Shepard."

"Likewise, sir."

One tug of her hair tie destroyed the perfect form of her corn silk braid. It spiraled downwards before she collapsed down on the stiff mattress. Her room was no bigger than a closet, barely large enough to hold her twin size bed. Her head fell to the side like dead weight. The calluses stretching across her hand were starting to become the indication of her lack of life.

The only reason she had wanted to join the Alliance Navy was to repay Hackett for his rescue sixteen years ago. What was she living for? Everyone hated her in the Academy while the superiors groveled at her feet for no reason.

There were three soft knocks on the metallic door and her head shifted to stare at it. An uneasy coughing sounded behind it.

The coughing started up again. "It's Gwin." She sat up, pressing her hand against the door panel. He leaned against the doorway, eyes glowing seductively, one part of his mouth turned upwards, and to finish the picture, his eyebrows lowered themselves. She didn't find the look attractive at all but Gwin's "stories" said other women thought differently. He didn't even wait for an invitation in. The small swoosh of the door brought her back to reality.

Before she could speak, his lips pressed against hers as she drew closer in his embrace. She was only vaguely aware of her being lowered to the bed before she fell upon his spell completely.

"This bed is too small…seriously, I don't know why you just go get a promotion, knowing you it'd be easy." She only chuckled against his bare chest as his fingers traced up and down her back. "As much as you hate it…you could seriously use Hackett's relationship to you to get the nicest place on the Academy."

She merely shrugged. "And be like you sharing the second largest one with another major? I'll pass." She nuzzled her face in more before speaking once more.. "It's hard to believe that in a few weeks we'll be out on our first mission together."

"Yep, saving lives to clear our conscious of any wrongdoings we may have done in our past."

"We? You mean you." He snorted at her, pulling her closer.

"Sure sure, but as of now, you're as guilty as me. Fraternizing with a senior officer. Just come and share an apartment with me…I can make all your wildest dreams come true…" His palm fell against her back, rubbing it methodically.

"Yet again, you're wrong. It's more like…"senior officer seducing his subordinate," Yet again, another laugh sounded. Her breathing slowed while her eyes drooped. She felt his lips brush against her hair as sleep over took her.

* * *

Gwin paced back and forth, his hands remaining locked behind his body while he overlooked the rest of his squad. He lingered on Eden as long as he did the others. The transport carrier rocked back and forth, throwing recruits against its sides.

He cleared his throat, all attention immediately directed at him. "Men, woman…" He smirked; Eden was the only woman in the squad for the mission. "We've received information from the alliance that the bandits have been cornered into a small outpost off the side of the camp. The colonists are still thought to be alive and are being bargained for at the moment." As he continued, the environment tensed as the VI began announcing their approach. "We will split off into two major groups; I will lead the Alpha team that will enter first followed by Bravo team led by Second Lieutenant Shepard. Don't worry men, we will not fail!" The small container exploded in noise as men threw their fists into the air, chanting as if in a trance.

"You know what this means, Eden?" The twitchy man, Corporal Toombs, broke the silence after Gwin's speech. She let out a small hum in curiosity. "You're the only female in this group so…you're bound to have sex with at least one of us if not all of us." Only half of the men started guffawing while the rest remained dumbfounded, Gwin being one of them. Private Nandry elbowed him in the ribs, cutting off his laughter. Everyone looked back and forth between Eden and Gwin waiting for the next move.

"You do know that she beat me in a contest of skill and strength just a few weeks ago and got promoted for it, you really think you're going to get a chance to do her?" Gwin finally cracked a smile, leaning against the side of the aircraft. It didn't lighten the mood anymore.

The VI buzzed on. "Estimated arrival time in five minutes."

The dust from the ground shifted around their descent but nothing else shifted. There was no defense standing guard outside the large enclosure. Gwin sent out a sign, his group following shortly behind him. They entered. Six minutes later, Eden led the next charge. The inside was silent. No gun fire, no cries from hostages, nothing. Gwin gave her a suspicious glance.

"This is Commander Gwin of the USS Canterbury. We have breached the perimeter with no sign of bandits or the hostages. This place has been empty for years." Eden stopped in her tracks. Gwin was deathly silent. She had never seen him like this and it somewhat scared her. She continued to watch as he paced, waiting for an answer.

He threw his arm down, a snarl appearing on his face. "Shit! Communications are being blocked now." He turned to look at the soldiers underneath him. "Head out, we're going back to figure this out." The marched out one by one.

The dust was shifting again but there was no transport vehicle in sight. The ground started to rumble in response. Finally there was the roar. It pierced the sky, shattering any window left of the compound. It emerged, flailing its body.

"What the hell is that?!" A random soldier began firing, causing the monster to cry out again while throwing its body down on that same soldier, crushing the life out of him.

"It's a thresher maw! Gwin, we need to get out of here now!" She repeatedly shot the monster, allowing others to start retreating. Gwin wasn't moving except for the slight recoil of his weapon. There was yet another screech as another one emerged, blocking the exit to the Mako.

"I got it! I got the emergency beacon up an-ahh!" There was a wail as the man was devoured by the gigantic mouth. Within two minutes, two more had shown up. One by one, her comrades were either devoured or smashed to death.

She saw it one second too late. "Gwin!" Her arm went out in an attempt to help him but it wasn't going to make it in time. He turned to look at her, smiling once again. His lips moved. _"I love you." _She couldn't hear it but read it perfectly; the tears started falling once more. A thresher maw engulfed him, diving back in the ground. The other monsters retreated as she fell to the ground, unable to process the situation. Bodies surrounded her while in the background the small machine bleeped trying to console her.

She hiccupped, her mind falling back into the recess of her memories. Flashbacks of the slaughter sixteen years ago slammed into her full force. "Mommy…da…daddy?!" She grabbed the sides of her face, her banshee shriek ringing outwards into the silent sky. Her hands limped downwards to the ground as her memory began attacking itself.

Her body began shaking and she could only hope that the thresher maws had come back to finish her off too.

* * *

**A/N: Well it looks like you made it to the end! If you liked it, please leave a review or something or even leave one if you hated it! I'm constantly trying to better my writing skill so anything helps!**

**If you noticed any huge loop holes, anything confusing, have any questions, see any really bad grammar or along those lines, either PM me or send a review! I greatly appreciate those who do this too!**

**With this, I'll conclude the first chapter, see you guys in chapter 2 (Whenever that might be!)**

**~The Sax Pax~**


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